Los Angeles Food & Wine is touted as one of those can’t-miss culinary festivals of the summer, and it’s no wonder.

The fest, which returns Wednesday, Aug. 22 through Sunday, Aug. 26 to Downtown L.A., showcases the best of local food and drink culture. Events include tastings, celebrity chefs and culinary personalities, live entertainment and more.

From “Saved by the Bell” to the Cooking Channel’s “Dinner at Tiffani’s,” Tiffani Thiessen now co-hosts “Live On Grand” block party populated by celebrity chefs, tastings and music curated by DJ Questlove. (Photo by Rebecca Sanabria)

The festival opens with a Kick-Off Dinner Series, featuring $150 dinners at three L.A. restaurants. Choose from dinner at Lasa, with chefs Chad Valencia and Jon Yao, Big Boi, with chefs Barb Batiste and Alvin Cailan, and Tesse, with chefs Raphael Francois and Salley Camacho-Mueller.

Thursday, Aug. 23

Chefs Alvin Cailan and Antonia Lofaso host “Ultimate Bites of L.A.,” a battle of the best chef-prepared tastes where your vote matters. The winning chef receives a spot at the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival in April. Tickets are $175-$225.

Friday, Aug. 24

The Power Lunch Series hosts cross-country collaborations at five L.A. hot spots, including Dama in Downtown’s Fashion District, Downtown’s Breva at the Hotel Figueroa, Rose Cafe in Venice, Downtown’s Rossoblu and Viviane at the Avalon Hotel Beverly HIlls. Lunches fetch $125 a pop. Later, catch the all-new Heat on the Street fiesta hosted by Robert Irvine, Susan Feniger, Mary Sue Milliken and Aaron Sanchez. Tickets are $150 and $195.

Saturday, Aug. 25

Celebrity chef Curtis Stone pops up at the Lexus Grand Tasting at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica where endless bites, as well as sips from more than 200 wines, are included in the price of admission ($175 and $225). Stone later joins Tiffani Thiessen, the “Saved By the Bell” alumna turned Cooking Channel’s star of “Dinner at Tiffani’s,” and DJ Questlove for the “Live on Grand” block party that features star chefs, cocktails, music and more. Admission is $195 and $250.

Sunday, Aug. 26

The Lexus Grand Tasting event returns for another day of wine and chef-prepared bites by 25 celebrity chefs.

Los Angeles Daily News reporter Sandra Barrera has been writing about entertainment and lifestyle topics since 1998. Before joining the Daily News in 2000, she was a reporter for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in Ontario where she helped launch the now-defunct entertainment magazine 72HOURS as its music writer. Her reporting career at the Daily News has included fashion coverage from the red carpet at Hollywood's biggest awards shows, home and garden trends with a particular focus on earth-friendly alternatives and a wide range of events, from theater to the latest happenings at Six Flags Magic Mountain.